


Pride

by socksaregoodshit



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Overthinking, Fluff, Lion Lover Bokuto, Lions, M/M, Minor Angst, photographer akaashi, ya feel?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-04-06 14:51:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14059338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/socksaregoodshit/pseuds/socksaregoodshit
Summary: “Here, Kuroo, here!”“Ooh, good choice.” Kuroo said, digging his phone from his pocket.He focused the camera on Bokuto’s form, the sun casting a large shadow across the ground and filling Bokuto’s shape with darkness. Multiple sets of bright eyes appeared from behind the metal enclosure. A single, long shadow filled Bokuto’s as a large beast stood from its perch on an elevated rock.As the owners of the eyes came into focus, the prominent male Barbary lion stood to its full height, consuming Bokuto in his shadow.





	1. Pride

**Author's Note:**

> I have no real excuse for this, self indulgent BokuAka and lions.

Bokuto looked into the mirror above the bathroom sink as he towel dried his hair, he couldn’t wait to start the day.

Looking back, if someone had told him he’d be where he was now, he’d probably have laughed at their jokes, joined in, and then daydreamed about it. But he was now in his dream job.

Deciding his hair was towelled enough he straightened up his bathroom after his shower and made his way towards his bedroom. Bokuto collapsed backwards onto his bed, relishing the feeling of crisp, cool bedsheets on his bare back. He listened to the soft padding along his laminate floor and a quiet grunt accompanied by the bed dipping.

 “Hey Sparta,” Bokuto greeted, leaning on his elbows as the white cat made his way to Bokuto’s body, nestling in beside him, “nooo, Spartaaa,” Bokuto whined, “you’re a mini heater!”

Bokuto sat up, fighting Sparta from his position as a weight on his chest, standing up and going to get his hair dryer.

He pulled in the dryer and began styling his hair, hearing the cat behind him growl and mewl at the noise. So he pointed the warm air at Sparta, the cat darting around his bed to escape the rush of hot air, much to Bokuto’s amusement.

He returned to his own hair, combing his fingers through the voluminous strands. Hearing a thump as Sparta hit the floor, Bokuto had just enough time to clock the porcelain-coloured cat’s tail wiggle along with its backside and it charged at his ankles.

Bokuto laughed heartily at the cat mouthed at his ankle, thin, knife-like teeth barely denting his skin as Sparta also began pawing his leg, claws retracted.

 “Getting good at hunting there, aren’t’cha?” Bokuto bent down to tease Sparta’s ears, using the loosening grasp on his leg as a chance to run to his wardrobe, cat close on his heels.

Bokuto rooted through his wardrobe for a shirt and pair of pants, trying, and failing, to ignore the feline on its back in front of him.

He quickly picked a pair of maroon three-quarter length shorts, a plain white tee with a black band logo in the centre of the chest, proudly displaying the inkwork covering his body.

 “Right, Sparta, I gotta go out, see ya later!” Bokuto slipped into his flipflops and grabbed his wallet from his bedside table, along with his phone. He made his way to the front door, picking up his car keys and house keys respectively from the dish on the side unit.

He locked up his house and then made his way to his Jeep, climbing inside and turning the ignition key.

Bokuto drove the nine mile journey from his home out in the rural farmland to the nearest market town, pulling up outside the butcher’s shop.

 “Hey there, Bokuto!” The butcher called as the door swung open and the owlish man waltzed inside.

 “Hey gramps!” Bokuto replied with a wide grin, approaching the nearest counter, narrowly avoiding the few other patrons in the building.

 “The usual?”

Bokuto mulled over his answer, debating whether to treat Sparta and the others.

 “Yeah, but add on some venison and veal,” Bokuto decided, the butcher noting down the additions to Bokuto’s usual order, “oh! And add some sausage and bacon for me,” but he quickly added, “and steak! Kuroo’s coming with Kenma so give me three!”

The butcher laughed, adding the extras to his list and enjoying Bokuto’s youthful vigour.

 “For you I’ll even get the best rump cut I can get!” He beamed, reaching inside the display casing for the freshly prepared sausages, wrapping the pound of meat in clear cellophane, doing the same for the bacon. “You are the one keeping me in business by paying my rent and bills!”

 “Nah, old timer, you got plenty of loyal customers,” Bokuto said, humbled, “although none of them buy as much as I do.” He grinned, the infectious expression quickly spreading to the butcher.

The pair continued to laugh as the butcher finished preparing Bokuto’s domestic order with the steak, even throwing in a free pork loin, they passed banter back and forth as Bokuto reached for his wallet and the butcher placed the white bag on the counter.

 “So what’s the damage?” Bokuto asked, taking his business debit card from one of the slats in his wallet and slotting it into the card payment machine.

 “Three twenty.”

Bokuto entered his card pin number, whistling in awe as he watched the transaction carry through on the small screen of the card machine.

 “I told you, you pay my rent and my bills, kiddo!”

Bokuto smiled at the thought of keeping the local businesses afloat with his ridiculously sized weekly orders. Once the butcher was ready he gave the man the payment for his personal order in cash.

 “Well the money won’t be stopping any time soon!” Bokuto said, removing his card from the machine and fitting it back into his wallet, picking up his bag of shopping and turning to leave.

 “I’ll drop the venison and veal off with the rest tomorrow morning!”

 “Thanks!” Bokuto called, leaving the shop and making his way down the high street to the other market stalls.

Bokuto continued to potter around the market, gathering other ingredients for Kuroo and Kenma’s visit, finally returning to his car half an hour later. He put the shopping on the front passenger seat, climbing into the driver’s side and revving the engine.

Bokuto made his way back to his secluded home, enjoying the scenic route through rural land and finally down a long lane to where he lived.

He noticed the black car marred with dust from the dirt road parked up outside his front porch and beamed to himself, parking alongside it and getting his shopping from the seat beside him.

 “Bo!”

 “Kuroo!” Bokuto responded, seeing the bed headed figure sat on the wooden deck, a smaller presence beside him. “Kenma!”

Bokuto drew nearer, looking at the glinting, matching rings on their fingers. He felt hollow for a moment. Everyone he knew was settled, in love, or married.

Meanwhile, he was bitter.

He was bitter because the one person he’d felt romantic feelings towards was travelling the world, living his life, and definitely not thinking of him.

 “How are you guys?”

 “We’re great!” Kuroo said, standing up to embrace Bokuto. “And you?”

Bokuto sighed wistfully.

 “Still melancholic.”

 “Dude,” Kuroo said, “are you getting ready to impress Akaashi with those big words?”

 “What do you mean?”

 “Haven’t you seen his Facebook?”

Bokuto looked at Kuroo, deadpan, motioning to their surroundings.

 “Hey, you still got your cellular Wi-Fi.”

 “I have a job, Kuroo, by the time I’m finished my phone is the last thing on my mind.”

 “Mmm, it’s the man with the curly black hair, hm?”

 “Shut up, I hate you.” Bokuto said, although it came out more sarcastic than hurtful.

 

  
The warmth of the sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon when the three had finished eating, Bokuto was washing the dishes, Kuroo was drying, and Kenma was stacking them away.

 “Want us to help feed them later?” Kuroo asked, looking at his friend.

 “Sure, if you want to, I need a new picture for the Insta anyway!”

 “Sounds fun~”

They finished cleaning the dishes and setting them away, Sparta quickly trotting over for attention.

 “Okay, Sparta, okay,” Bokuto said fondly, petting the white cat, “we’ll go for a walk now.”

Bokuto slipped back into his flipflops, heading out in the early evening sunset with Kuroo and Kenma and heading out to the main enclosure.

The sun peaked from behind the shrubbery and huge metal cage.

 “Here, Kuroo, here!”

 “Ooh, good choice.” Kuroo said, digging his phone from his pocket.

He focused the camera on Bokuto’s form, the sun casting a large shadow across the ground and filling Bokuto’s shape with darkness. Multiple sets of bright eyes appeared from behind the metal enclosure. A single, long shadow filled Bokuto’s as a large beast stood from its perch on an elevated rock.

As the owners of the eyes came into focus, the prominent male Barbary lion stood to its full height, consuming Bokuto in his shadow.

Kuroo took the shot, then several more for good measure.

Bokuto then entered the enclosed space through a mesh door with Sparta hot on his heels, chirping and mewling after him. Once again leaving Kuroo and Kenma in awe of his penchant to befriend anyone and now proven to also befriend anything with a pulse.

 

  
It was a little after eleven when Bokuto crawled into bed, his friends gone and Sparta settling at his feet, the white lion cub grooming his paws before huffing tiredly.

Bokuto was still intrigued by what Kuroo had said about Akaashi, and he knew sleep wouldn’t find him without putting his mind to rest.

He turned on his mobile data, loading up Facebook and searching Akaashi’s name, feeling like a complete stalker and hating himself when his heart stammered at the sight of Akaashi’s latest post.

_“Akaashi Keiji is travelling to… Tokyo.”_

That’s what it definitely said.

Posted 8 hours ago.

Bokuto looked at the little map icon, seeing he was coming from somewhere in Europe, he wasn’t good with geography, but he could tell that much.

He couldn’t help but wonder what sort of things Akaashi had been able to experience on his travels.

And what would Akaashi think when he came back to find Bokuto on the outskirts of Tokyo, working with lions he and his predecessor had rescued, rehabilitated, and hand reared?

Now more than ever, sleep eluded his mind.


	2. Travelling Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna apologise for the delay in updating! Life isn't my friend right now.
> 
> Hope you all like this chapter!

Akaashi felt the pressure difference become greater between the cabin and the atmosphere outside, his ears feeling compressed as the altitude of the plane continued to climb.

As the plane levelled out at its designated height he dug his iPad from his laptop case tucked beside his feet, he pressed the device’s start-up button, waiting for the screen to flare into life.

He was going to be on the flight for another five hours, and after sleeping on his previous eight hour flight he knew sleep wouldn’t come easy, he might as well do some research for his latest assignment.

The iPad screen turned on, displaying one of his recent photographs from his travels in Poland, he typed in his pin and connected to the in-flight Wi-Fi, thinking what he can use for his next assignment theme: _Nature and Nurture_.

He’d been thinking about his subject, he had perused the chatrooms and blogs and everyone had the same idea.

_Family_.

So he wanted something different.

“Perhaps animals…” Akaashi mused, his finger idly running up and down the armrest of his window seat. “A rescue centre?”

That was nature being nurtured, it could work, right?

He entered his request into the search engine, looking for animal sanctuaries in and around Tokyo, becoming inundated with webpages.

The young girl beside him was slumped against her seat, the early morning flight offering too much excitement and tiring her out. He assumed the man beside her was her grandfather and that he wasn’t faring much better with the lull of the engines.

Akaashi quickly narrowed down his choices to predatory animals, and then again to specifically mammals. He felt he’d used birds too many times in the last few assignments.

With his narrowed criteria animal charity sites became abundant: wolves, foxes, domestic animals, monkeys, and even hedgehogs.

But one stood out more than all the rest.

_Lions_.

He quickly clicked the link, the desktop version of Instagram gracing his iPad screen, the profile was full of images, a brief description at the top, and contact details.

This profile was a lot different from the others, it didn’t advertise tickets, fees, asking for pledges or entry prices. There was just a link asking for a small donation to help buy food and medication for the big cats.

Intrigued by the lack of passive aggressive demands for money, or large calls for visitors like most charities and zoos, Akaashi took the next step. Scrolling down to the photos and clicking the most recent and instantly being awestruck.

It was sunset, thick, heavy gold and orange hues setting the sky alight and wonderfully contrasting with the deep, unrelenting shadows and silhouetted shapes of the trees and shrubbery in the background.

A large, ominous shape took up most of the middle ground that Akaashi could only guess was a lion. He was taken back by the startling fire in its eyes as it stared down at the camera, but not looking directly at it.

Akaashi looked closer and saw the bevelled shape of a human, muscular with broad shoulders, thick arms that were probably crossed against his chest. The shadow cast by the beast didn’t offer much light for the man, only his shoulders, and biceps being given slivers of sunlight.

The lion was standing in defiance against the man, and the man was standing to challenge the lion.

Akaashi felt excitement bubbling in his stomach at the thought of possibly finding his new assignment so easily.

Akaashi closed his iPad, slipping it back into his laptop case before drawing his laptop out and opened the lid, loading up his mind map software and starting his brainstorm for other possible ideas.

 

  
Akaashi stood outside the airport, waiting for his taxi to arrive. He’d booked the private hire for half an hour after his flight was due to land and he’d been waiting fifteen minutes before getting the idea to call up the lion sanctuary to arrange a visit.

He pulled out his phone, finding the contact details on Instagram and entering them into his call log.

He could imagine an office phone ringing in a portable office set up on site.

Akaashi vaguely heard a soft, cheerful hello on the other end of the phone, the soundscape around him hardly ideal for a semi-professional phone call.

“Hello?”

_“Hey, you kinda got a bad soundscape there, can’t hear you too well.”_

“I apologise, I’ve just got off the plane, I was wondering if I could—”

_“What?”_ The voice called, clearly unable to hear Akaashi’s request.

“I was wondering if I could come and view your lions! For a project I’m doing!”

_“Oh! Sure! When do you wanna come?”_

“Is tomorrow morning okay?”

_“Sure! What name?”_

“Keiji!”

_“Reiji? Okay, see you tomorrow Reiji!”_

And the line went dead.

Akaashi couldn’t hide the scoff, they seemed so eager, even if he couldn’t quite hear them properly.

A taxi pulled up and Akaashi moved forward, bending to speak with the driver and confirming that it was his before the driver climbed out to help him lift his things into the boot.

They climbed back into the hatchback, Akaashi giving the address of the hotel he’d be staying at and the driver beginning the journey there.

 

  
Akaashi settled into his room, setting his suitcase aside to unpack his clothes into the closet space.

He stopped to look out of the window at the more suburban space his hotel was located in, taking in the air from Tokyo that he’d been away from for the past four years.

From where his window was positioned Akaashi could see the sunset going down, reminding him of the amazing picture full of wonder and mystery, piquing his interest before he’d even landed in his home town.

He set up his camera, getting a time-lapse video of the sunset, various high and medium level clouds catching the sunlight and fragmenting it into rays.

Oranges fading to reds, the haze of pollution adding a greyish-blue hue to the horizon and eventually the sky fading to a peacock’s plumage, and the very few stars visible over the city’s light pollution becoming clear.

As he caught sight of the time Akaashi decided to shower, feeling grubby from the far too stuffy plane journeys.

He dug out his underwear before heading to his ensuite bathroom, placing them on the toilet lid and turned on the shower head and finally beginning to undress.

He stepped in, taking his time under the steady beating stream of water, allowing his muscles to relax and for his hair to become wringing wet.

A different type of nostalgia began to invade his senses, one set back in high school. It was silly, really, he’d obviously showered hundreds, possibly thousands of times in the five years since he’d been a second year. But being back in Tokyo made his memories flood back.

His time at Fukurodanī, his time in the volleyball club, their regular after-match and after-training showers that would more often than not end in Bokuto getting overexcited and causing a mess, or a scene, or an accident, and on the not so rare occasion all three.

He smiled fondly at the memories, his chest aching strangely and his mind focusing on only one person in particular. A rambunctious character whom everyone adored, looked up to, and, if they were an opposing team, feared.

He found himself thinking deeper, about where Bokuto would be now, what would he be doing?

Would he still be taking up volleyball?

Akaashi hadn’t seen him, even after religiously following the Japanese team while he was away.

Maybe he’d decided to do something else.

But Akaashi couldn’t see Bokuto doing a boring office job, he couldn’t see him doing anything that wasn’t completely obscure, fun, and totally Bokuto.

But then other thoughts flitted through his mind, his heart leaping into his throat with startling suddenness and fear.

He’d been away for four years.

In that time he’d fail to stay in contact with anyone.

He’d been so…busy with his career and studies that he’d lost contact with all of his friends.

For all he knew Bokuto could’ve fallen in love, settled down, he could even have young children by now.

He’d seen Kuroo and Kenma’s Facebook posts about dates and anniversaries, he’d even once congratulated them. But their replies of missing him and wanting him to visit, send a postcard, or call them over Skype went unheeded until it felt like it was too late.

Suddenly the shower no longer felt warm, it was chilling him to his core.

His newfound loneliness hitting him like a tonne of bricks.

He hurriedly escaped the confines of the shower cubicle, wrapping a towel around himself and haphazardly drying himself off before getting dressed.

As he busied himself around the hotel room he quickly began to calm down, but his mind was now restless, and as he settled into the king sized bed he felt a nagging rapidly swelling to find Bokuto on every single piece of social media and catch up on what he’d missed.

He eventually, after a few minutes, caved into the nagging, lifting his phone from the bedside and searching for Bokuto’s name online, desperate to find anything. But instead he found the Facebook profile he already had as a friend, the last update months before Akaashi’s sudden urge to search for his old captain.

He sighed in defeat as he watched the video Bokuto had tagged Kuroo in, a cat reaching, jumping for a feathery toy on the end of a bamboo stick, only to vault onto the kitchen worktop and skid into sudsy dish water.

He scoffed at the fate that befell the small feline, it’s fur flattened and covered in washing-up soap as it scrambled out with the help of he person recording.

He tapped the bottom left hand corner to pause the video before exiting the full screen view. But he found his heart in his throat for the second time that night as the video ended, the screen shrinking before he could pause.

His finger brushing the _like_ button instead.

It was at that point Akaashi realised fate was as much on his side as the cat from the video’s as his screen blacked out, his old iPhone model losing it’s final drops of battery life.

“Shit.”  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out [this commission](https://tatsuhimegajevy.tumblr.com/post/172354889080/gokanakosetsu-commission-for-tatsuhimegajevy) by the amazing gokanakosetsu!!


	3. Into The Lions' Den

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, lookie here, is that a reunion I see?
> 
>  
> 
> Yes, yes it is.

Akaashi looked out the cab window at the sliding security gates as the taxi pulled up at the lion sanctuary. 

“Anywhere here is fine.” Akaashi said, the driver pulling up and asking Akaashi for the appropriate fare. He paid before getting out with nothing but his backpack, wanting to scope out the sanctuary before bringing his camera. 

He made his way through the gate before pulling out his phone, ready to call the office, concerned by the lack of an immediate building. 

“What can I do for yer, young’un?” 

Akaashi turned round to see a man not much smaller than him, he was older, possibly late early sixties, and his hair was wispy and thinning. 

“Um, yes, I arranged to come and see the lions?” Akaashi explained, noticing the man’s pickup truck filled with tools and fencing. “Keiji.” 

“Ah, I see, we don’t usually get visitors, nice to meet you Keiji-san, I’m the owner, Genryuusai.” 

“It’s a pleasure, Genryuusai-san.” Akaashi smiled, he noticed the older man’s features shift to behind him, a soft smirk on his lips and present in his eyes. 

Akaashi turned to see the lion cub trotting over to them, mewling and growling softly as it approached Genryuusai. 

“Um, is there meant to be a lion outside the enclosures?” Akaashi asked, watching as Genryuusai bent down to play with the young cub. Mesmerised by the sandy white-grey cub’s speckled markings. 

“Yeah, this is Sparta, if he’s about then Koutarou won’t be far behind.” Genryuusai chuckled fondly. 

“Koutarou?” Akaashi’s heart slammed into his throat for the third time since touching down in Tokyo. 

As if on cue Sparta’s name was called, the voice making Akaashi freeze up, his stomach rolling with newfound nerves. 

Was that really Bokuto? 

Sure enough the man that rounded the dirt road hedgerow was Bokuto. 

But he’d matured.

As expected working with big cats kept his physique in shape, but with becoming a fully-fledged adult his shoulders had broadened, his muscles more defined. His eyes didn’t seem as childlike anymore, his brow furrowed to guard his eyes from the glaring sunlight. 

His hair had changed, too, the salt and pepper strands barely contained in a piece of elastic tight to the back of his head, soft strands framing his face not unlike downy feathers. 

Their eyes met and Akaashi’s mind went blank. 

What should he say?

“Akaash?” Bokuto said, one eyebrow no longer protected his eyes, instead it had risen. Akaashi was glad that his clear expressions hadn’t changed, even the slight pout he always did when he was confused hadn’t changed. “Is that really you?” 

Akaashi discovered he really was weak for Bokuto’s expressive nature as the man’s other eyebrow joined the first, a wide, uninhibited grin plastering his face. 

It instantly transported him back to their high school days.

“H- Hello, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi cursed himself for stammering, but his nerves were just too much. 

“Akaash!!” Bokuto cried, rushing to hug the other man tightly. “Why are you here?” However, he didn’t give Akaashi long enough to respond. “You’re Reiji!!”

“Reiji?” 

“You called yesterday! I took the call and the noise was so bad, Agaash! I thought you said Reiji but really it was Keiji!!”

Akaashi smiled, Bokuto really hadn’t changed, even after four years. His eyes landed on a silver-peach scar running along Bokuto’s right cheekbone, and then again to his unruly hair. 

No…

Bokuto had changed. 

Akaashi felt a melancholic mood settle over him, regret only seconds behind it. 

Just how much had he missed? 

He should’ve came back to visit, even if it was only once a year. 

No, he should’ve came back to visit a lot more than that, every six months at least. 

No, that wasn’t right either. 

He should never have left. 

“Akaash?” Bokuto asked, setting Akaashi back onto the floor. 

“Yes, Bokuto-san?” 

“You came to see my lions.” He beamed, a giddy excitement in his voice. 

Akaashi couldn’t help but fall victim to the contagious smile. 

“I did.” 

 

Bokuto and Akaashi began making their way to the lion enclosure, Akaashi found the walk teetering on the edge of awkward silence. What could he say to a man he hadn’t seen in four years?

“Hey, Akaash,” leave it to Bokuto to know how to clear an awkward silence, “you said on the phone this was for a project?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Akaashi said, keeping his step in time with Bokuto’s, “my final assignment is nature and nurture, so I thought about rescue centres because they help to nurture nature.” 

Bokuto was silent for a moment. 

“Oh! Well you’ve come to the right place, me and Genryuusai hand reared the lions!” 

“Really?” Akaashi asked, risking his next question. “Where did they come from?” 

“Mostly rich people, they have them as illegal pets, y’know? Or poachers who raise the cubs then shoot them. That’s how we got Sparta!” 

As if understanding his name, Sparta growled softly, trotting to keep up with them. Akaashi looked at the lumbering white cub. 

“You saved his life?” 

“Yeah…I found him in a poacher’s enclosure, kinda like a really grubby kennel? When we got him back here we found out he’d been declawed.” Bokuto scowled as the young lion leant against his leg heavily. “That’s why he lives with me, he couldn’t defend himself out in the main enclosure, he’s small and would just get bullied.”

“That’s horrible…” Akaashi said, bending down to let Sparta sniff his awaiting palm before brushing the backs of his fingers along the cub’s muzzle. 

“I hate poachers.” Bokuto said, finally approaching the wooden guard fence positioned a metre and a half away from the mesh enclosure and leaning heavily on the beam.

“Me too.” Akaashi mumbled, leaning beside him and watching in awe at the large cats behind the wire fence. 

Sparta approached the fence, several larger, juvenile lions approaching him curiously and huffing at him through the chicken wire. To which the small cat pawed at their nose. 

“Although I think Sparta stands a pretty good chance against them.” Akaashi chuckled softly. “He has a good right hook.” 

Bokuto laughed heartily, watching as the bigger lion pawed at the fence in response to Sparta’s playful attack, Sparta responding by moving his paw up and down at the lion. 

“You’re right, Akaash.” 

Akaashi observed a male lion approaching the fence, his large mane casting a long, ominous shadow across the dirt and grassy floor. His amber eyes gauging him before looking to Bokuto. 

The lion’s body stretched upwards as it forced its front legs hard against the chicken mesh, as it stood on its hind legs it rubbed its thick mane along the wire fence. 

“Morning Simba!” Bokuto cooed, crossing the wooden safety fence to approach the big cat. 

Akaashi had never been someone to predetermine the outcome of things without first fully assessing the situation and having full information on the subject in question. 

But what Bokuto was doing seemed to him like a recipe for disaster. 

“Um, Bokuto-san,” he began, his lip becoming caught between his teeth with nerves as he watched the man’s finger disappear through the mesh and into the lion’s mane, he released his lip, “are you sure that’s safe?” 

Bokuto turned to him, noticing his closed off posture not unlike most of the lion’s when they first arrived at the sanctuary. 

“Sure,” he watched Akaashi’s expression not falter, “watch this.” 

Bokuto stopped tickling the cat’s neck, turning left and heading towards the enclosure’s gate. 

“Bokuto-san…” Akaashi watched with nervous apprehension as the cat he’d been engaged with quickly caught onto Bokuto’s next move and squared off the gate. 

Simba stalked Bokuto into the enclosure, a trot becoming a canter as he reared up on his back legs again, almost seemingly falling forward onto Bokuto’s waiting form. 

Bokuto’s arms were open wide, catching the lion and falling under its weight with a grunt. 

“Bokuto-san?” 

“I’m okay, Akaash!” Came a fur muffled laugh.

Akaashi believed him, smiling at the man’s antics as he crawled out from under the large Barbary lion and began playing with him as if he were domesticated and definitely not a three metre long, three-hundred kilo lion. 

Akaashi let himself get lost in the image of Bokuto playing with the lion named Simba, leaning on the wooden outer fence and resting his head on his forearms. 

They ended up staying by the enclosure all day, Bokuto playing with many different members of the lion pride, and Akaashi contentedly watching him. Feeling more at ease than he had in a long time. 

“Akaash!” Bokuto called, breaking him from his daze and forcing his gaze towards him. “Want to stay tonight?” He asked, looking up at Akaashi. 

“I,” Akaashi began before pausing briefly, “I, uh, I have my hotel room.” 

“Why waste money on a hotel when you got me again?” Bokuto asked, and Akaashi could see his logic, but fear overrode that. 

“I’ve already paid for a week in advance…” Akaashi lied, the other man finally standing up and walking towards the exit to the enclosure. 

“Then want me to drive you back? Save on taxi fare.” 

Akaashi closed his eyes and took a deep, shaking breath. 

“Okay, Bokuto-san.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/i-am-a-bit-of-a-crank)


End file.
